“Jeanne du Barry,” the much-discussed Cannes opening night film featuring Johnny Depp as Louis XV, will be released by Fathom Events and Vertical in over 500 theaters beginning May 2, the companies announced Wednesday.
The film marks Depp’s acting comeback following his high-profile defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard that resulted in a four-year hiatus.
“Jeanne du Barry” comes from the French director Maïwenn, who also stars in the title role along with co-writing, producing and directing.
“Jeanne du Barry was a sensation at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and we are thrilled to partner with Fathom Events for the nationwide theatrical release of Maïwenn’s stunning piece of cinematic art showcasing Johnny Depp’s return to the big screen,” Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey said in a statement to TheWrap. “With Johnny’s huge appeal, we feel the Fathom/Vertical collaboration will allow moviegoers across the country the opportunity to experience the film which has already been a hit with audiences overseas.”
The film’s official synopsis is as follows: Jeanne Vaubernier (Maïwenn), a young working-class woman hungry for culture and pleasure, uses her intelligence and allure to climb the rungs of the social ladder one by one. She becomes the favourite of King Louis XV (Johnny Depp) who, unaware of her status as courtesan, regains through her his appetite for life. They fall madly in love. Against all propriety and etiquette, Jeanne moves to Versailles, where her arrival scandalizes the court.
In his review of the film, The Wrap’s Steve Pond wrote, “Jeanne du Barry,” shot in 35mm in locations that included the actual Palace of Versailles, is handsome but largely inert; it’s got lots of style but precious little energy, leaving it to an ill-advised narrator to take us through the story and drop bon mots like “Aren’t girls who care for nothing ready for anything?” and “What good is innocence if others harbor guilty desires for you?”
